Paul William Walker IV[1] (September 12, 1973[2] – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was best known for his role asBrian O'Conner in theFast & Furious franchise.
Paul Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recognition in the 1990s after appearing in the television soap operaThe Young and the Restless; he received praise for his performances in the teen comedyShe's All That and the comedy-dramaVarsity Blues (both 1999), and rose to international fame by starring inThe Fast and the Furious (2001).
He also starred in the commercially successfulroad thrillerJoy Ride (2001), becoming an action star. He followed this with the box-office disappointmentsInto the Blue (2005) andRunning Scared (2006), although he earned praise for his performance in the survival dramaEight Below and for his portrayal ofHank Hansen inFlags of Our Fathers (both 2006). Outside of these, Walker largely appeared in low-budget action films, but starred in the commercially successfulheist filmTakers (2010).
Walker died in asingle-vehicle collision on November 30, 2013, as a passenger in a speeding car.[3] His father and daughter filed separatewrongful death lawsuits againstPorsche, which resulted insettlements.[4] At the time of his death, Walker had not completed filmingFurious 7 (2015); it was released after rewrites and stand-ins, including his brothersCody and Caleb, were used to complete the film while the song "See You Again" byWiz Khalifa andCharlie Puth was commissioned as a tribute.[5]
Early life and education
Walker was born on September 12, 1973, inGlendale, California.[6] His mother, Cheryl (née Crabtree), was a fashion model,[7] and his father, Paul William Walker III, was a sewer contractor and former amateurboxer who was a two-timeGolden Gloves champion.[8][9] Walker's paternal grandfather, William, had a short-lived boxing career as "Irish" Billy Walker, while another raced factory cars forFord in the 1960s.[7]
Walker began a modeling career as a toddler, starring in a television commercial forPampers at age two. He continued to appear in commercials, most notably forShowbiz Pizza in 1984,[13] before beginning an acting career on television that year, appearing in the teen anthology seriesCBS Schoolbreak Special. Walker continued to work in television until 1996, across a number of genres; he appeared in two episodes of the fantasy dramaHighway to Heaven between 1984 and 1986, and secured his first leading role in 1986, appearing as Jeremy Beatty in the sitcomThrob. He continued to feature on sitcoms in the early 1990s, with guest roles inCharles in Charge,Who's the Boss?, and the short-livedWhat a Dummy. In 1993, he portrayed Brandon Collins on the soap operaThe Young and the Restless; he and co-starHeather Tom, who played Victoria Newman, gained fame, and were nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress in a Soap Opera at the Youth in Film Awards. Walker's final television role was onTouched by an Angel, although he appeared as himself, alongside his sister Ashlie, as contestants on a 1988 episode of the game showI'm Telling!, in which they finished in second place.
"[Walker] is that guy. As a director, [Walker is] completely supportive of my vision of what the film is. And even better, he's completely game for it."
In 2001, Walker's breakthrough role was starring oppositeVin Diesel in the action filmThe Fast and the Furious; it was commercially successful, and subsequently launched a media franchise. The film also established Walker as a film star and leading man, as his performance garnered theMTV Movie Award forBest On-Screen Team (shared with Diesel) in 2002. Walker starred in the critically successful thrillerJoy Ride (2001). Walker was originally set to play Jim Street inS.W.A.T. (2003) and had even started training for the part, but backed out to reprise his role as Brian O'Conner in the 2003 sequel2 Fast 2 Furious.[16] After this, he starred either in low-budget or commercially unsuccessful films for a time, notablyTimeline (2003) andInto the Blue (2005).
Walker portrayedHank Hansen inClint Eastwood's war filmFlags of Our Fathers (2006) and starred in the survival dramaEight Below, both released in 2006.Eight Below garnered critical acclaim and opened in first place at the box office, grossing over US$20 million during its opening weekend.[17] In 2007, Walker debuted as a producer in the action filmThe Death and Life of Bobby Z, in which he also starred in. He would later go on to be an executive producer in the thriller filmVehicle 19 (2013) and produce the crime comedy filmPawn Shop Chronicles (2013). Walker then starred in the independent filmThe Lazarus Project, which was released on DVD on October 21, 2008.
Walker in 2011
Despite initial reluctance, Walker reprised his role as Brian O'Conner after six years, inFast & Furious (2009). The film became the highest-grossing film in the franchise up until that point.[18] He then reprised his role in thefifth andsixth installments of the franchise, which were commercially successful, while his performances were praised. Walker was nominated for Choice Movie Actor – Action at the 2011Teen Choice Awards for the former, and nominated for Choice Movie: Chemistry (with Diesel andDwayne Johnson) and won his second MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo with Diesel for the latter. Walker also starred in the heist filmTakers (2010),[19] and returned to modeling in 2011, appearing as the face offragrance brandCool Water.[20] In 2012, he founded the film production company Laguna Ridge Pictures, which signed afirst-look deal withFast & Furious distributorUniversal Pictures.[21]
After his death in 2013, three films starring Walker were released; the thriller filmHours (2013), which he also served as an executive producer, the action filmBrick Mansions (2014), itself a remake of the French filmDistrict 13 (2004). He also starred in the action filmFurious 7 (2015) but died before he had wrapped up filming. It was originally set to release in 2014, but was pushed back to recreate Walker's likeness. At the time of his death, he had completed around 85% of his scenes.[22] The filmmakers hiredPeter Jackson'sWeta Digital visual effects house to complete this,[23] using existing reference materials, Walker's brothers Caleb andCody, as well as co-starJohn Brotherton, as stand-ins,[24] and outtakes or older footage,[23][25][26] to create an accurate remodel of Walker's face. The film was then released in 2015,[27] and Walker won the award for Choice Movie Actor: Action at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards, and was nominated for Choice Movie: Chemistry (shared with Diesel, Johnson,Michelle Rodriguez,Tyrese Gibson, andLudacris).
After Walker's death, theFast & Furious franchise has paid tributes to him and his character in the movies, such as his character making an off-screen cameo appearance by driving aNissan Skyline GT-R at the end ofF9 (2021), which he also drove inFast & Furious (2009).[31] Archive footage of Walker fromFast Five (2011) was used inFast X (2023) as a flashback scene.[32] He also posthumously received a star onHollywood Walk of Fame in 2023.[33]
Personal life
Raised in aMormon household, Walker became anon-denominational Christian as an adult.[34] He lived inSanta Barbara with his dogs.[8][35] He and Rebecca Soteros, a childhood friend with whom he had an on-and-off relationship, had a daughter namedMeadow Rain Walker.[36] Meadow lived with her mother in Hawaii for 13 years and, in 2011, moved to California to live with Walker.[37]Vin Diesel, Walker's close friend, is the godfather of Walker's daughter.[38][39]
In addition to Diesel, Walker was also close friends with fellowFast & Furious co-starTyrese Gibson.[40][41]
He held a brown belt inBrazilian jiu-jitsu under Ricardo "Franjinha" Miller at Paragon Jiu-Jitsu[42][43] and was awarded his black belt by Miller posthumously.[44] Walker founded thehumanitarian aid nonprofit charityReach Out Worldwide (ROWW) with financial adviser Roger Rodas in response to the2010 Haiti earthquake.[45][46] He traveled to a number of disaster-stricken areas to supply aid until his death.
Walker had an interest inmarine biology, and joined the board of directors of The Billfish Foundation in 2006.[47] He fulfilled a lifelong dream by starring in theNational Geographic Channel seriesExpedition Great White (retroactively retitledShark Men), which premiered in June 2010.[48][49] Walker spent 11 days catching and tagging sevengreat white sharks off the coast of Mexico. The expedition, led by Chris Fischer, founder and CEO of Fischer Productions, and Brett McBride and Michael Domeier of the Marine Conservation Science Institute, took measurements, gathered DNA samples, and fastened real-time satellite tags to the great white sharks, in order to study migratory patterns, especially those associated with mating and birthing, over a five-year period.[50]
A car enthusiast, Walker competed in theRedline Time Attack racing series in which he raced on the AE Performance Team driving aBMW E92 M3. His car was sponsored by Etnies,Brembo,Öhlins,Volk, OS Giken,Hankook, Gintani and Reach Out Worldwide.[51] Walker had been preparing for anauto show prior to his death.[52] Walker owned Always Evolving, a Valencia high-end vehicle performance shop, where Rodas, apro-am racer,[53][54] acted as CEO.[55] Walker had a large collection of about 30 cars, a portion of which he co-owned along with Rodas.[56] In January 2020, 21 vehicles owned by Walker were sold for a combined $2.33 million during spirited bidding at an annual car auction in Arizona.[57]
Death
The site of Walker's death on Hercules Street inSanta Clarita, 2015
On November 30, 2013, at about 3:30 p.m.PST, Walker, 40, and Roger Rodas, 38, left an event for Walker's charity Reach Out Worldwide for victims ofTyphoon Haiyan,[58] with Rodas driving his red2005 Porsche Carrera GT.[59] Traveling between 80 mph (130 km/h) and 93 mph (150 km/h) in a45 mph (72 km/h) speed zone on Hercules Street inValencia, a neighborhood ofSanta Clarita, California, Rodas lost control of the car, which crashed into a concrete lamp post and two trees off the road, catching fire within seconds after impact.[58][60] According to forensic evidence gathered from the scene, both men were knocked out by the impact. Rodas died instantly from multiple physical traumas, while Walker died within seconds from the combined effects of physical trauma and burns. Both of their bodies were burned beyond recognition.[59]
The curve where Walker and Rodas died is a popular spot fordrifting cars.[61] No alcohol or other drugs were found in either man's system,[62] and neither mechanical failure nor road conditions appeared to play a role.[63] Police found no evidence ofdrag racing.[64] The investigation concluded that the car's speed and age of the tires were the primary reasons for the crash.[65]
Grave of Paul Walker at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills
WithFurious 7 in the middle of filming at the time of Walker's death, Universal announced an indeterminate hiatus on the production, citing a desire to speak with his family before determining what to do with the film.[66]
Numerous friends and movie stars posted tributes to Walker on social media.[67] His remains werecremated and his ashes were buried in a non-denominational ceremony atForest Lawn Memorial Park.[68] His life was later chronicled in the documentaryI Am Paul Walker, which was released on August 11, 2018.[69]
Lawsuits
In December 2014, Walker's father filed awrongful death claim against Rodas's estate, seeking the return of or "a proportionate share" of revenue generated by a group of automobiles that were jointly owned by both Walker and Rodas.[70] Walker's daughter received a $10.1M settlement in 2016.[71]
In September 2015, Walker's daughter filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche, claiming that the Porsche Carrera GT had numerous design defects, including a history of instability, and that its seat belt placement could cause harm upon impact.[72] Porsche denied any wrongdoing and blamed Walker, stating: "The perils, risk, and danger were open and obvious and known to him, and he chose to conduct himself in a manner so as to expose himself to such perils, dangers, and risks, thusassuming all the risks involved in using the vehicle."[73] Walker's father and daughter both reached separateout-of-court settlements with Porsche.[74] In April 2016, U.S. District Court JudgePhilip S. Gutierrez ruled in favor of Porsche in a separate lawsuit filed by Rodas's widow Kristine.[75][76]
^abHobson, Louis B. (June 17, 2001)."Paul Walker kicks it into high gear".Canoe.ca. Archived from the original on September 22, 2013. RetrievedDecember 5, 2013.
